Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

Posted on: January 13, 2012 8:41 pm

Edited on: January 24, 2012 10:49 am

The Yankees revamped their rotation by acquiring Michael Pineda in a big trade of fine young talents for Jesus Montero and seemingly seconds later coming to terms with Hiroki Kuroda on a one-year deal for about $10 million. And they don't appear to be done yet.

The Yankees turned a weakness into a strength with those two big moves but now are in need of a hitter. With Montero going to Seattle, and they are calling around for offense. One player now on their radar is the power hitter Carlos Pena, but there may be others, as well.

The Mariners needed to upgrade their offense and they did that by getting Montero, in a trade first reported by CBSSports.com. Seattle nearly traded for Montero in the summer of 2010 in a Cliff Lee deal before eventually opting to acquire Justin Smoak instead. In this trade, the Mariners also received righthanded pitcher Hector Noesi, while sending righty Jose Campos to New York with Pineda.

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

I would give Fielder $20M a year when he can only DH or play 1B. Tex is an unbelieveable 1B at times. The Yankee payroll is already very high, and I think they should leave options open for next offseason.

If Pineda can prove to be a solid #2 or #3 pitcher, along with the killer b's, they can omit going after Cain with a huge contract. They sign a top Offensive weapon that can play the field.

If Pineda reverts back to the way he played at the end of the year, it'll be another offseason for pitching. Kuroda will be gone after this year, and maybe Garcia as well.

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

Melfman1. You want to explain the logic behind thinking Prince Fielder will take 5 years instead of 10 and settle for less per year in the process? At minimum he could get 10 years at $22.5 million a year. He's not gonna take less per year to sign a 5 year contract. If the Yankees want him and only for 5 years, they'll have to pay more than $22.5 million a year, not less. The Yankees would probably have to pay around $27.5 million a year for 5 years to get him to choose a 5 year deal over a 10 year deal at $22.5 million a year.

But I can't even believe you would suggest the Yankees should offer him less years and less money per year. He'd just laugh at them and reject the offer without a second thought.

Since: Sep 9, 2011

Posted on: January 17, 2012 11:38 pm

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

Pena's not the answer. He's got declining skills and his holes are pretty major. When his drop is too much for teams to handle it will be sudden and serious. Anything more than a one year for Pena is asking for trouble. He could easily put up and Adam Dunn year.

Since: Dec 5, 2006

Posted on: January 17, 2012 7:43 pm

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

Comparing Pena with Fielder as possible acquisitions, Pena appears to be the better contract situation. If the Yankees sign Pena for two years with an option for three they can see if Carlos can make the transition from everyday fielder to DH. It does not work for many players. Signing Fielder requires an outlay n excess of $240M and ten years. He is not worth that and can be an albatross for many years. Neither are the fielder that Tex is and neither will supplant him there but for a few games and year. If I were Cashman (fat chance!) I would be reluctant for either of these players.

The Yankees are always looking for their type of player. There are not many who can come in and handle the pressure. With the popular Posada gone there are not many to fill his big shoes. Next year in free agency there are better players coming up. Better to handle this year with a short term solution?

Since: Dec 13, 2006

Posted on: January 17, 2012 7:01 pm

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

I'm sure I'll be in the minority, but I think the Yanks should go after Prince Fielder. If they could get him to agree to a 5 year/$100 million deal, I think it could work.

They wouldn't want to go longer than 5 years, because his weight could become a major issue down the road. But, he'd instantly fill the DH hole left with the trade of Montero and bring a solid presence in the middle of the lineup (replacing the diminishing returns of A-Rod). After 2013, the Yanks will lose AJ Burnett's anchor of a contract, so the salary increase would really only be short-term. Plus, Fielder will kill the ball at Yankee Stadium with the short porch in right field.

Thoughts??

Since: Jan 17, 2012

Posted on: January 17, 2012 12:30 pm

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

Chavez isn't on the Team Roster yet. They would have to agreed on terms first. although I believe they don't need him. We have Vazquez who needs just a chance. He plays in the Mexican League in the off season and was MVP in 2010-2011

otter3030
Since: Nov 27, 2007

Posted on: January 14, 2012 3:05 pm

This comment has been removed.

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Since: Aug 17, 2007

Posted on: January 14, 2012 2:04 pm

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

Not a bad idea! I would love to see what Nunez has!

Since: Mar 9, 2007

Posted on: January 14, 2012 12:03 pm

Yanks upgrade rotation twice, seek hitter (Pena?)

I'd like to see the Yankees give Nunez a chance to play everyday. A-Rod can now freely use the DH spot, I'd rotate Chavez and Nunez in the lineup at 3B.

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